Dining Help

[jmcalister]

Dear DISsers,

Our family is visiting DLR next June and I have a few questions regarding dining. I am thinking that we'll do one nice meal per day. Do you think it would be better to do Dinner every night for this or also do it for lunch on a couple days? One place I definitely want to try is Blue Bayou, do you recommend lunch or dinner? Is Cafe Orleans a good choice? Is Wine Country Trattoria or Vineyard Room better? If you could pick 5 or 6 table service and 5 or 6 fast food places, what would you pick?

Thanks for you help,
jmcalister

 

[DLR29]

For Blue Bayou I'd do lunch. It's cheaper and the Monte Cristo sandwich is offered. Plus you'll be so full from lunch you won't need to pay for dinner.

I have not been to either of the nice DCA restaurants. But there are some very good Downtown Disney restaurants. The Jazz Kitchen has very good food, as does Naples Ristourante and Pizzeria. For atmosphere, you can try the Rainforest Cafe, but make it towards the beginning because after some of these restaurants, the food won't taste as good.

SOme good counter service restaurants include El Rancho del Zocalo in Frontierland. Pretty good mexican with big portions. Also Begal BBQ in Adventureland is good for something different than pizza/burgers/etc.

For some ok pizza/burgers try the Hungry Bear restaurant in Critter Country. They have pretty good burgers, you can get grapes instead of fries, and tons of seating. Plus you can get seating right next to the Rivers of america. Redd Rocket's Pizza Port is good too in Tomorrowland. It has pizza and pasta and also tons of seating.

 

[Vanvmom]

We normally only purchase big meal per day when visiting the parks. As for the places mentioned...at the Pizza Port you can also order a whole pizza for less than it would cost for 4 people to get pizza, and their chicken fusilli is great (enough for 2 people to share if you purchase bread sticks too). We normally decide to purchase lunch vs. dinner based on the weather. If we are visiting the parks when the weather is cooler in the evening, then we purchase dinner so that we can eat somewhere that it is warmer. If the daytime temps are hot, then we purchase lunch someplace that we can enjoy the AC for a while. I have not tried the nice places in CA Adv. either. We like Rainforest and ESPN Zone for Downtown Disney options. For quick service: Pizza Port, Rancho Del Zocayo, and the bread bowl place in CA Adventure (wish I could remember what it is called, but it is attached to the sourdough bread making tour). They have the best clam chowder in a bread bowl, and the brocolli cheddar soup is great too!

 

[InLoveWithTheBeast]

My favorite nice meal is Storyteller's, although this could be that it's really the only nice place I've been at DL. When at WDW I'm adventurous, but at DL I tend to stick to the same places. For a decent counter service meal try Taste Pilot's Grill in DCA; pretty good, and the fries are a meal unto themselves. I also really enjoy Bengal BBQ across from Indiana Jones. I tend not to be too adventurous at DL as I only go on day trips, but those are the places I'd recommend.

 

[BillyFan]

Favorite Table Service (not in order)
1. Storytellers Cafe breakfast
2. Cafe Orleans any time of the day
3. Blue Bayou lunch
4. Carnation Cafe Breakfast or Lunch
5. Naples for a late-nite dinner

Quick Service
1. Rancho del Zocolo
2. Pacific Warf Cafe in DCA--best bread bowls ever!!!!
3. Corn Dog Cart
3. Taste Pilots Grill

OK, I'm getting hungry now! Only 8 days to go.........

 

[NVDisMom]

When we have a big breakfast (typically non EE days we'll enjoy park opening and do BF at 10 or so), we usually do a nice dinner. On EE days we do a bigger lunch (because we wolfed down a pastry for breakfast as we were dashing out the hotel room door) and counter service dinner.

For sit down meals we always do BB(lunch), Wine Country Tatratoria (late dinner), Rainforest Cafe (whenever), and ESPN Zone (Sunday lunch for football). QUick Service we enjoy Taste Pilots grill, Pacific Wharf Cafe, and Bengal BBQ. For character meals we love Storytellers. We begin every trip here. Its tradition. Also, White water Snacks at GCH is really good, cheap (relative) quick service for any meal.

 

[Disneyluvr2]

The only place not only mentioned that I really like is Steakhouse 55 at the Disneyland Hotel. Great place for a nice dinner!

 

[yngsj]

The vineyard room is good but not great but Cafe Orleans and Blue Bayou are two of my favorites. I would definitely try Bengal BBQ for a quick bit. We usually eat only lunch in the parks and then eat dinner at DTD or at a Non-Disney restaurants.

 

[mariezp]

On our list Blue Bayou is a must. Lunch is somewhat cheaper.

Aside from that my family likes the chicken dinner from Plaza Inn, clam chowder bread bowls from Royal Street Veranda, chicken strips from the Stage Door Cafe and corndogs from Main Street Corn Dog Wagon in DL. You probably can't go wrong with a burger from either Hungry Bear Restaurant or Tomorrowland Terrace.

 

[fairycat]

I love BB and agree its great for lunch, I also love Wine Country Trattoria for lunch or early dinner (I love the Caprese Sandwhich on pretzel bread ), think the mexican place is ok and found pizza port not bad when we tried it either.

I have not been to the Vineyard room since they switch their menu from coursed to ala cart, but found it good in the past. But if I am going to splurge on a meal I would go to Napa Rose it is wonderful!! But it is high end.

I did Storyteller's for lunch and dinner and I would not go back, we did our meal from the menu's and it was terrible both the food and service. I have heard from others the buffet is good, but we never tried it.

I agree with trying DTD places I love Jazz Kitchen and go there very regularly. HOB has good food too (if you aren't veggy), I tried the lunch time part of Naples and both my friend and I thought it was the most disgusting over priced food EVER, but I have heard sit down dinner is better, but so avoid the deli/lunch side

Also don't forget the charecter meals like Goofy's Kitchen, I don't like buffets but even I found this one very good and a lot of fun.

 

[garate55]

DLR29 had it.......you gotta do lunch at least once at Hungry Bear if it's not too crowded, kinda dirty but well worth sitting by the river.
Sorry I couldn't be of more help(but when I'm there I get lost in the whole atmosphere and can't think straight, so I don't remember much) but I will be going in 3 days so I will try to bring back some good advice..........oh and look for a huge trip report.

 

[DevilDuckie]

Dear DISsers,

Our family is visiting DLR next June and I have a few questions regarding dining. I am thinking that we'll do one nice meal per day. Do you think it would be better to do Dinner every night for this or also do it for lunch on a couple days? One place I definitely want to try is Blue Bayou, do you recommend lunch or dinner? Is Cafe Orleans a good choice? Is Wine Country Trattoria or Vineyard Room better? If you could pick 5 or 6 table service and 5 or 6 fast food places, what would you pick?

Thanks for you help,
jmcalister

Short of Club 33, Vineyard room is the most upscale restaurant in the parks. Fabulous, but pricey- $200 for dinner for 2 with wine pairings.

Table Service:
Storyteller's
Hook's Pointe
Vineyard Room
Goofy's Kitchen
Cafe Orleans

Counter service:
**the food is better and the portions larger almost everywhere in DCA***
Taste Pilot's Grill
Boudin Bakery
The corndog stand n DCA (Hotlink corndogs! [swoon])
Plaza Inn (HusbandMan likes the fried chicken)
Pizza Port